Prosecutor to review case today of hunter who killed dog in Geauga County park

MONTVILLE TOWNSHIP, Ohio -- Geauga Park District rangers intend to deliver a report to a Chardon Municipal Court prosecutor this morning so charges can be considered against a bowhunter who killed a dog being exercised in Observatory Park.

The archer -- whose name has yet to be released -- fired a fatal arrow into the side of a 9-year-old black Labrador while hunting within the 1,200-acre park last Tuesday. The hunter reported the incident to rangers and told them that he shot the dog after it aggressively moved toward him, Chief Ranger Robert Urban said.

The trained bird dog, named Steel, lived with Robert Phillips at a home adjacent to the park. Phillips disputed the hunter's account when contacted last week but said he'd await the end of the investigation before commenting further.

The bowman had permission to hunt deer at Observatory Park, one of six properties the park district opened to hunters this season as part of a wildlife management plan. Hunters are required to stay at least 200 feet away from roads and neighboring properties. There are different accounts of where the shooting took place in relation to the park boundary.

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